Hai ni Naru
by Won-ting
Summary: A magnate has captured the Seigaku regulars! And now, they have to win in a tennis tournament or have their lives taken. The prize that the magnate wants is a brunette who looks very familiar to Ryoma…
1. Reunion

**Tennis no Oujisama © Konomi Takeshi, Jump, Shueisha****  
**

**Summery:** A magnate has captured the Seigaku regulars! And now, they have to win in a tennis tournament or have their lives taken. The prize that the magnate wants is a brunette who looks very familiar to Ryoma…

**Hai ni Naru**  
**Chapter One**  
**Reunion**

_  
- -  
Apart we've been,  
Missing this long awaited meet up…  
Who would've known we'd be placed in this situation?  
Who would've known we'd meet up like this?  
- -_

A soft wind trickled against his cheeks and played with his hair as he awoke feeling cold and hungry almost at all once, a yawn also escaped him and he stared blearily around him, confused as to where he was. The room was small and dirty, in fact the bed, he noticed, would release a puff of dust when he'd move to sit up and this sudden discovery caused him to shudder inwardly before getting off the bed. The floor itself was also covered in dust, so thick that he could make out a pair of footsteps, other then his, leading out of the room and towards the door.

He felt another trickle of wind, this time more harsh then before and shivered before turning to find a window which sat besides the small twin bed, open. Sniffling, he turned back around and moved towards the door, hoping to get out of there. Where was he? Better yet, why was he, Echizen Ryoma, who had just won Wimbledon once more, at a place like this?

In a matter of a few steps, he approached the door and touched the handle. The warmth from the handle caused him to jump; he had not expected the handle to be so warm when he thought, like the room, it knob would be near icy to the touch. Grasping the handle, he tried to turn it but it wouldn't turn and when he pulled at it, the door gave a threatening moan. Cursing inwardly, he moved quickly towards the window and found it impossible to climb, jump, or step out of. The height was high enough to cause the young seventeen year old to grow dizzy, the height most likely being over five stories. Plus, the snow that was piled at the bottom which caused the ground to look even deeper then it probably was, didn't reassure Ryoma at all.

What the hell was going on? He wondered. He soon tried to close the window as best as he could, but the window, probably because of its age, barely budged under Ryoma's persistent shove. He managed to get it about more then half-way before he gave up and sat slowly back onto the dirty bed. His hand reached upwards and he found his hat was gone, he cursed out loud this time. It was one thing to wake up in a place he didn't know, but for his hat to be gone? His hands tightened together into a fist, whoever had stolen his hat and placed him here was going to pay.

Shaking off the anger, he frowned, casting a glance towards the floor in deep thought. What had he been doing before this? All he remembered was going to an interview his manager had wanted him to attend and then… He shook his head, his frown deepening, he couldn't remember. _"__Achoo!_" He sneezed suddenly, his body reacting in a slight jump causing the bed to give off powders of dust. He coughed violently for a moment, waving a hand at the dust before standing, cursing vigorously.

"You're awake then," a deep voice said behind him, causing him to stiffen before spinning around. The man before him smiled, his blue eyes shining at him in a manner that almost made Ryoma smile back if he hadn't been so grouchy about waking up in an unknown place for an unknown reason. He glared at the man as they walked towards him, their large boots hitting the floor in a loud _thud _causing the floor to moan under the new weight.

He was much taller then Ryoma, probably a good six feet or more. He had red hair that was cut short in its waviness, stopping above his shoulders. He wore a simple brown sweater with black trousers which matched the belt that hung loosely on his hips. At the end of the belt, hung a hoister for a sword which now gleamed dangerously at the tennis player.

"Who are you?" Ryoma asked, quite bothered and a bit threatened.

The bulky man laughed before bowing a bit, his eyes gazing humorously into Ryoma's. "Sorry, sorry, I forgot to introduce myself," he said, standing up straight again, a smirk settling on his lips. Ryoma's glare hardened. "Fredrick Welsh, at your service," he said, sounding almost loyal if it weren't for the frown and the cringe that had followed soon after.

"Why am I_here_?" Ryoma tried again, his annoyance rising towards anger.

The man,_Fredrick_, stiffened for a moment before flicking his thumb against his nose and sniffing. "I'm not at liberty to say," he said dryly, "I'm only here to feed and get you warmed up before bringing you out. Unless… you want to stay in this freezing room, then go ahead." Ryoma swore on his life that Fredrick had added the last sentence only to tempt him, however, he didn't budge from his spot despite the fact that he was now shivering.

"Why can't you tell me? Why are you carrying a sword on your hip?" Ryoma asked, his fist clenching at his sides, angrily,_ "__Where am I?"_

"Can't say," was the dry reply.

Ryoma stalk towards the man and fisted the front of the shirt, however, before Ryoma could even blink the man had shoved him onto the dust covered floor and had pulled his sword silently out. Now, glaring at the sword which was aimed at him threateningly, he slowly gazed up at the red head who sighed, tiredly. "Just come, will you? If you make it any harder and keep asking me these questions I'm gonna have to knock you out."

"Fine," Ryoma snapped, shoving the sword away from his face.

"Hm, don't seem too afraid of my sword, do you?" Fredrick asked, sliding his sword back into the hilt.

"Doubt you'd kill me. You did enough to get me here didn't you?" Ryoma sneered, pushing past the other man and entering the other room. Almost immediately his body shivered, welcoming the warmth with goosebumps traveling up and down his arms and legs. His eyes scanned the other room and noticed that it was a rather small kitchen.

It held a small table against the wall which sat besides the fireplace, where a fire burned brilliantly and welcomingly. Besides the fire was another bed and Ryoma glared at it for a moment. Fredrick probably had slept in that bed while_he_ was freezing on the other side of the area. After a moment, a hand shoved him forward and he looked over his shoulder, glaring at the red head who gave a smirk back.

"Calm_ down_, already," Fredrick said before motioning to the table nearby the fireplace. "Go on and sit, I'm going to fix you some soup and hopefully get rid of that cold of yours."

"I wouldn't have a cold in the first place if I had been sleeping in___here_," Ryoma said dryly, his head titling to the bed that sat nearby the fireplace, looking warm and cozy. Nevertheless he moved towards the table as Fredrick answered back.

"I wasn't allowed to let you sleep_ here,_" was the reply. Ryoma gritted his teeth from asking _who_ hadn't allowed him to sleep in the room before pulling out a seat and sitting down. His eyes shifted to Fredrick who began humming a foreign tone while he poured some liquid into a pot and began to mix.

"How can you speak Japanese so well?" Ryoma asked, leaning on his hand, his elbow currently resting upon the table.

"Ah, a question I can answer," Fredrick said merrily. "I've been training with a friend in Japan up in the mountains for the past twelve years."

"A friend," Ryoma repeated. "Is it the guy who put me here?"

"Hm, I wonder."

Ryoma's eyes narrowed in his annoyance before he turned his head away while taking a long and steady breath to calm him, personally he'd rather keep conscious and eat something then be _unconscious_ and let Fredrick do whatever he wanted to him. He tapped his foot impatiently, spacing off as he stared at the walls of the small kitchen-bedroom-dining area. The place was certainly cleaner then the room he had slept and didn't seem to have a spot of dust anywhere, this caused him to frown as he grew even more annoyed, his stomach growling in agreement.

However, his stomach had also seemed to have reacted to the sudden scent that filled the room. Reluctantly, Ryoma turned his head back to Fredrick while licking his lips in want as he watched the man pour the brown liquid, which now consisted of chunks that seemed to be meat and vegetables, into a round bowl. "Smells good don't it?" Fredrick asked, catching Ryoma's stare. Immediately the boy turned his head, looking away.

"Not really," he huffed, "I don't like western food."

His stomach growl in objection to this and Ryoma blushed, a light pink touching his cheeks.

"Traitor," Ryoma hissed to it as the sound of Fredrick's boots neared him.

The taller man laughed before setting the bowl down and handing Ryoma a silver spoon. "Anyway, eat up. It's going to take a few hours before we reach the mansion—"

"Mansion?" Ryoma repeated, frowning. He hadn't moved to eat, despite the fact that now his head was beginning to throb dully as well while his stomach clenched hungrily. "What did Atobe plan this or something?"

"Atobe? Who's Atobe?" Fredrick asked, titling his head sideways, obviously confused.

Ryoma shook his head and faced the meal, despite having asked about Atobe without a deeper meaning to it, he supposed it had been a last subconscious hope. Muttering an '_itadakimas_', Ryoma lifted the spoon to his lips slowly before cautiously placing it into his mouth. His eyes closed without warning as the warm liquid melted on his tongue before sliding down easily down his throat, the soup was delicious. Opening his eyes again, he frowned as he looked over to Fredrick who was stowing pulling out a sweater and a jacket from somewhere in the small kitchen. His head throbbed a bit more persistently and his stomach growled again, sighing in defeat, Ryoma ate the rest of the soup in silence while listening to Fredrick humming the same song he had hummed earlier.

_- -_

After Ryoma had finished eating, Fredrick had told him to go into the bathroom, which was out through a hall, and dress before they had to leave. Ryoma wondered vaguely as he walked down the hall why Fredrick let him on his own for, clearly, he could just escape when the man wasn't looking. However, the hall he had been sent to was just a small stretch to a small bathroom where a toilet and shower was tightly squeezed into a cramp room. The room bared no windows and Ryoma had to shuffle around a bit, bumping into things before finding the light.

His eyes scanned the area soon after and with a defeated sigh, realized he had no way to escape. Also, if there had been a window, Ryoma couldn't simply jump out of it, not with the height probably being the same as the dirty bedroom. His eyes stared down at the heavy brown coat and thick brown pants he had been told to put on. He moved to the toilet first and relieved his bladder before placing on the clothes and leaving the room, the clothes hugging around him almost too tightly. By the time he had gotten back into the kitchen-bedroom-dining area, Fredrick had given him a pair of thick boots like his.

"Wear 'em," he said. He had placed on a similar outfit to Ryoma causing the young tennis player to wonder where in the world they were going and if it really was going to be as cold as they seemed to be preparing for. Deciding not to wonder on things he wouldn't know at the moment, Ryoma placed on the boots which were very wooly and warm inside despite its hard appearance.

"Give me your hands," Fredrick said soon after Ryoma had stood, the boots strapped on firmly.

Ryoma blinked at the other man. "Why?"

"Just give 'em," Fredrick drawled, sounding a bit tired. Ryoma reluctantly handed his hands over and watched as Fredrick tied a rope to his right wrist before placing his own right wrist in front of Ryoma. "Tie the rope onto mine—___not to tight!"_

Ryoma fought a smirk as Fredrick sighed while Ryoma loosened up the rope just enough for it to be comfortable for the other man. "What's the rope for?" Ryoma asked in a bored tone. The rope was short and thick, permitting Ryoma to only stand a few feet away from the other man.

"So, you won't go too far," Fredrick said dully, rubbing at his wrist, "I know you're mad but do you have to go and take it out on me?"

Ryoma shrugged. "You're the only one here, aren't you?"

"Come on," Fredrick said, tugging on the rope as he moved towards the kitchen. A door was by the stove and Ryoma raised an eyebrow, thinking this was the oddest home he had even been too. "We're going to travel by horse for about a mile—"

"We're traveling by horse? In this weather?" Ryoma asked, his eyes widening a bit.

"Oh, is it too hard for you?" Fredrick asked, mocking him. Scowling, Ryoma choose not to answer and Fredrick continued on. "Right then, after traveling by horse for about a_ mile_ we're going to meet up with a few of your… friends."

"If I ask," Ryoma said slowly, following Fredrick as they walked down a flight of stairs, "Are you going to tell me who these _friends_ are?"

"Nope," Fredrick sang.

"Thought so…"

_- -_

It only took fifteen minutes on horse back for his butt to hurt, and what seemed like two hours later, it turned numb. However, the complaints of the pain were kept quiet as he looked at his surrounding, trying to figure out where he was. It was hopeless however, because the snow was so thick it nearly covered everything, even the trees. Frowning, he wiggled his nose before rubbing his hand, which had been resting in the coat pocket for warmth, against it. His nose was sore, his hands were turning numb, and his butt hurt. Whoever the hell was doing this to him was _going to pay_.

The horse stop and Ryoma swayed dangerously when Fredrick, who probably had forgotten he had kept Ryoma on a rope, tugged on Ryoma sharply while getting off the horse. Cursing, Ryoma followed Fredrick off the horse. The taller man had snickered and patted his back before saying they had to climb up the hill before meeting up with the rest. Staggering, Ryoma followed the red head rubbing at his ears which had gone so numb they began to sting.

For a while now the snow was falling lightly around them and, luckily, barely any wind was blowing about. The snow crunch beneath their feet as they silently walk their way up the steep hill, and as they did so Ryoma didn't even bother to look around him. Instead, he kept his head towards the ground while trudging up the snow wearily. He was trailing behind Fredrick who didn't seem affected by the weather at all; in fact, he was strolling up the hill as if he were walking by the ocean on a sunny day at the beach.

After a moment, Fredrick stopped and Ryoma had nearly bumped into him. Glaring at the redhead, he watched as Fredrick placed two fingers into his mouth and whistled twice before listening. Soon after, crunching of footsteps came from the right and left and Ryoma gazed at the people coming towards him, his heart stopping.

A man bearing a long ponytail and a noticeable scar above his right eyebrow was coming at Ryoma's left first with a rope tied to his hand and a frowning man looking man whose glasses were missing while bearing a fresh cut along his right cheek. "Inui-sempai," Ryoma whispered, taking a step towards him but was stopped when Fredrick placed a hand out to stop him. Ryoma caught sight of two more people behind Inui who, like the two of them, had a captor with them and a rope trailing in-between them and the captor. "Kaidoh-sempai… Kikumaru-sempai…"

"Echizen…" a familiar deep voice echoed in his ear from his right. He's head spun around and Ryoma eyed the man with wide eyes, his heart feeling as though it was being crushed.

"Bucho…" he whispered back, shakily.

"We only have five people here," Fredrick mused aloud as Ryoma lowered his head, in defeat. "So, we're missing…"

"Three," a man with short brown hair and blue eyes answered.

"Damn," a man with blond hair said, "I'm_ freezing_!"

"Calm down, calm down," Fredrick said, breathing in deeply.

"You need eight people?" Inui's voice caused Ryoma to snap his head up. "Are you planning to bring—"

"Yes," said a man on Ryoma's right, dryly. The man was quite short, standing close to probably five feet if Ryoma had to guess and unlike the rest of captors, carried two swords instead of one. "Sorry I'm late, this one fought like hell."

"Momo-sempai," Ryoma gasped, tugging harshly towards his best friend. However, Fredrick gripped at the arm that tied to them together tightly and pulled Ryoma back. "Let me go! ___Let me—_"

"Stop it, Echizen!" Tezuka's voice snapped causing Ryoma to halt on command his eyes still staring at Momo. He stared at his best friend who dangled unconscious upon a horse; Ryoma felt his heart sinking even more. If they needed eight people then, then Fuji-sempai and Oishi-sempai were probably going to get captured as well. Ryoma swallowed harshly, as the sound of heavy footsteps grew near them.

"Dedicated to your captain, huh?" Fredrick muttered besides him as he let go of Ryoma's arm. "Don't you think it's a wonderful reunion? If I'm right, you haven't seen any of these people for nearly three years."

"Yes," he muttered dryly as the familiar sight of a light brown hair and opened sapphire blue eyes came towards them, "a _wonderful_ reunion."

**End**

**Chapter One **

**Author's Note: **The title means: Burning Ashes. After this, probably tommorow night or Sunday morning, **Together on the Courts** will be updated.


	2. Kouno Kai and Kirii Izumi

**Tennis no Oujisama © Konomi Takeshi, Jump, Shueisha**

**Summery:** A magnate has captured the Seigaku regulars! And now, they have to win in a tennis tournament or have their lives taken. The prize that the magnate wants is a brunette who looks very familiar to Ryoma...

**Hai ni Naru**  
**Chapter Two**  
**Kouno Kai and Kirii Izumi**

--  
_How long has it been since I've fallen for you?_  
_How much longer will it be before we're together again?_  
_…I can only wait until that day._  
--

There was a strong knock at the door causing him to jerk his green eyes towards the door before releasing a long and tired sigh, waving a hand in the air he sent his closest servant to open the door for him. He gazed back down towards the item in his hand, a nearly destroyed picture. The edges of the picture was nearly burned while the face was stained and scratched--a sudden memory of him risking his own life just to save this picture nearly made him laugh out loud. Just the sight of this picture had saved him so many times, and yet, would always, in some way, drive him closer to insanity.

The picture was so distorted by now that the two boys in the picture were hardly recognizable at all, in fact, if anyone who had not known it's earlier context, saw it, they'd think it was a piece of trash. He ran a finger over the ruined face that had never belonged to him, the face that was now captured and stupidly placed up for a sex-slave by anyone who won the underground tournament. However, it wasn't just any normal tournament but a tennis tournament. After the brown haired man had left him two years ago, he hadn't been able to reach contact. Until, one day, his current rival, Umi Renji, had boasted about a new slave he had gotten and showed him off at a party.

His sudden anger was cut off when a hand had pressed itself onto his shoulder causing him to jerk away, his eyes staring into the eyes of his most trusted business partner and friend, Kirii Izumi. His friend grinned before plucking the picture away before Izumi used his other hand to grasp his face, leaning his face close enough for their breathes to mingle. However, instead of pulling away, his eyes only narrowed at Izumi.

"Kiss me and you'll die," he growled and that was enough for the man to let go, laughing. "What do _you_ want anyway? I suppose you aren't here to boast about another something again, are you?"

"You hurt me, Kai-_chin_," Kouno Kai merely clicked his tongue in annoyance at the nickname causing Izumi to chuckle. "Do you honestly think I'm only here to talk about something as un-important as your_ best friend's_ life?"

Despite the guard he had brought up after Izumi had nearly kissed him, he cracked a smile before looking through his friends glasses and into the honey colored eyes. "What is it then?"

"Ah, made you smile," Izumi sang, tapping Kai on the nose, who presumed scowling immediately. "You should do that more often, Kai. You'd look_ so_ cute."

The scowl on his face didn't falter and, taking the hint, Izumi continued.

"All right, all right," he muttered, leaning against the side of Kai's favorite chair. Izumi brushed his thick black locks away from his face and grinned at Kai, his slender hands tapping at his chin. "What is the one thing that you've been secretly expecting to arrive?"

"Just tell me, Kirii," he snapped. "I'm in no mood for your games."

"You can call me by my first name, you know," Izumi said half-heartedly. "Anyway, I've gotten you one of the best tennis teams in Japan, happy?"

Kai was silent for a while as he stared at Izumi. "I thought," Kai began slowly, watching as Izumi avoided his eyes, "...you hated the idea of bringing Daisuke back."

"I did," Izumi drawled before giving a half-hearted shrug. "In fact, I still utterly _despise_ it but, if it'll make you happy, I'll go for it."

"Kirii…" Kai whispered, in awe.

"Besides if Dai-kun is as hot as you keep on bragging about then a three-some wouldn't be so bad, would it?" Izumi asked, grinning before bring a hand up to block the expected punch towards his shoulder. However, a sudden shocked filled the older man as he was pulled into a tight grasp instead. It took a while for Izumi to register that Kai was not hugging him because of something Izumi himself would've agreed to but, as a thank-you. Blowing off the hurt, he chuckled and patted the taller man on the back.

"Yo, Kai-chin, this isn't cool…"

"Thank you," Kai whispered his voice hoarse. His body was shaking now and with a sad smile on his face, Izumi held onto Kai, listening to the younger man whisper his thanks, over and over again.

- -

It didn't take long for Izumi to leave the room, Kai always loved to think when something big hit him and when he did so, he always did it alone. Even when Daisuke had been around, which he had a vague memory of--he never liked being around the two of them--Daisuke, the man who _loved_ Kai, would leave him alone in his thoughts. In fact, as the picture of Kai screaming and crying horribly one time appeared in his mind, a sudden hate flood thought his veins--it was one of the reasons Izumi _despised_ Daisuke.

Pushing up his glasses, he let them rest on his head, pushing his thick black hair back before he dug into his pocket and pulled out a cigarette. Lighting the end of the fag, he took a deep breath in before walking down the hall, ready to greet his on coming guests. He hadn't expected Kai to come along with him and, when he had told Kai they were coming, the man merely mumbled something about going to greet them during dinner. A smirk appeared on his lips at this thought, Kai, to him, still acted like a child.

He soon walked down a flight of steps before taking another turn, entering the library of the estate. There, he reached into the desk of one of the furnished mahogany tables and fished out eight folders. They were to prove to be a false threat to their "guest" and make them stay. As he continued his way out of the room, he paused before Kai's favorite chair and tapped his cigarette against the nearby trash before leaving the room.

He soon made move towards the main living room, remembering that he had told Fredrick to bring them all there. God, he hoped that they really hadn't been rough with the eight of them. At this thought, he took a deeper breath on the fag, frowning as the stick was almost gone. Running a hand along the walls, he let the fag sit in his mouth, his tongue tasting the white paper that held the tobacco in.

It didn't take long for him to reach the living room, his long strides made up the time. Before he entered a young maid--probably around fifteen, Kai had a weird interest in helping poor children find a job and have a better life--walked up to him, curtsied, before saying, "they've arrive, Kirii-san."

"Thank you," he said. Walking past the young maid, he walk towards the doors and pushed it open, a grin of welcome on his lips. It was silent among the group, all eight people stared at him with heated anger, confusion, and, interest. "Welcome, my past Seigaku players," he said, setting the folders onto the coffee table before the old regular players before standing before the fire place and facing them. A silence welcomed him and Izumi sighed, lowering his glasses back down onto his nose so he could get a better view of them. Ignoring their heated stares, he grabbed the folders and began handing each of them one, marked with their names on it. Soon after, he threw his nearly gone cigarette into an empty ashtray.

"Don't open it yet," Izumi announced, returning to his previous spot. He paused before Fuji Syuusuke, frowning as he peered at the pale man. Raising a hand, he managed to touch the hot forehead before a hand grasped his wrist, besides Fuji was Tezuka Kunimistu, the captain. Offering a small smile to Tezuka, Izumi pulled his hand away. "He looked sick. I was merely making sure if he truly was or not."

"He wouldn't be if it hadn't been for your men," a hissed nearby.

Izumi smile didn't falter as he stared at Kaidoh Kaoru before nodding while clicking his tongue against his teeth. "My apologies, it seems my men were far too harsh," he said with false formality. Snapping his fingers, the young maid scampered quickly back into the room, curtsied, before rushing to face Izumi. "I want you to check up on Fuji--" Izumi eyes returned towards Momoshiro Takeshi and Oishi Syuichiroh before pointing to the two unconscious bodies "--and those two as well. Make sure they are healed as quickly as possible and, after I'm through with this meeting, I want to meet up with Fredrick. Warn him that I'm in no mood for his stupidity."

"Yes, Kirii-san," she said, nodding before waving for two young servants standing nearby. Soon, they moved Oishi and Momoshiro up but Fuji didn't budge. "Please, Fuji-sama, I need to bring you back to health," the young maid begged, casting a glance towards Izumi.

"Go, Fuji," Tezuka said before Izumi could open his mouth.

With a heated glare towards Tezuka, Fuji stood and walked ahead of the young maid who scurried after him. "Hmm," Izumi mused, smiling at the reaction Tezuka brought out of Fuji before facing the group again. "Sorry for the wait. Let me introduce myself before you open those folders. My name is Kirii Izumi and I am the business partner of Kouno Kai." At this, Inui Sadahara frowned and Izumi lips twitched.

"Kouno Kai," Inui repeated, "Isn't he merely a hotel and airline owner? What would he have to do with us?"

"Glad you asked," Izumi said dryly. He felt like a teacher. He hated kids. He hated the idiotic questions they asked, even though, _if they could only wait_, then they'd know the answer. Adjusting his glasses, Izumi brushed his annoying locks out of his face and continued on. "Someone" he paused, thinking of a good word "_dear_, has been taken away from him. Now, because of this, we've been tricked into competing against his captor in order to" he paused again, looking disgusted "_rescue _them."

"Che," Echizen Ryoma said. Izumi eyed him, his patience waning. What an annoying group.

"Open the damn folders," Izumi snapped. God, he hated dealing with people. That's why, when he had met Kai, he had gladly entered into business with him. For one, the man had this aura to just attract people towards him and, for two; he had a way of keeping them _there_. Meaning, if he had joined them, then he wouldn't have to deal with the people themselves, just the business that had to do with them.

An evil grin appeared on Izumi's face as confusion and shock appeared on the faces around him. "The people and animals--" he cast a look towards Echizen "--are under our capture. If you run from us, I'll kill _them_. If you do _not_, do as we say, I'll torture you. If you do not_ win_, I'll keep them and sell them."

"Sell?" a soft voice muttered towards his right. He looked over and saw the haunting look on Kikumaru Eiji's face and felt the tiniest bit of sympathy for this man, after all, he was being told his whole family was "captured." Even though, in truth, they were perfectly safe.

"Yes," Izumi drawled, "sell. Become sex slaves--" with a wicked grin towards Echizen, he added "--or fish food."

It was utterly silent after that and, smiling with satisfaction, Izumi crossed his arms before announcing the tournament. "For the next three weeks, we're going to train you back into your best tennis condition. From there, you'll compete under Kai's name. Now, before you can ask me _why_ I've chosen you, it's quite simple. When I was younger, I didn't like tennis. However, my brother was obsessed with it. Especially, Seigaku and, after all these years, I hear of all the former players--besides a few members--have become known professionals.

"From here, I want to return you back into the Seigaku team that had been in junior high. However, the tournament itself _will not_ be normal. _Let me finish!_--" Izumi cast a glare towards Inui who had opened his mouth "--The tournament could even risk your life. The idiot running it, Umi Renji, likes putting people through hell and, unfortunately, likes tennis as well. That's why, I haven't brought Kawamura. The reason being is because he's a sushi chef and has been for the past four years, barely playing tennis. His skills have faltered and we do _not_ have the time or _patience_ to train him from the scratch.

"Also," Izumi said, with an air of an almost finished conversation. "We're going to prepare you lot for combat. Look, I _don't know _what that fucked-up idiot is planning to place the other teams in before tennis matches or even, during it. But, hell, I'm not going to let my best friend down. So, whether you like it or not, you're all helping."

It was silent as Izumi looked around and he inwardly smiled in relief. "You'll all be staying in your rooms with one another, you should be comfortable. Personally, I would've placed you in a different environment but, I rather not have Kai being angry about it. So, instead, I had a room with eight beds built into it. You'll be in there until your friends are all healed up--hopefully by the end of tomorrow--and then we'll start your training. Tonight," Izumi said, turning to open the doors, "you'll personally meet Kouno Kai."

He motioned for Wilson, a blonde man, who gave a slight smirk before getting off the wall he had been currently leaning on and stalking towards him. Frowning, Izumi stared up at Wilson, hating the fact that the European stood a head taller them him. Crossing his arms again, he watched Wilson run a hand though his blonde locks before lowering his arm again.

"I need you to take them to their rooms," Izumi ordered.

"Like hell I won't--" Wilson began.

"Then," Izumi hissed, ignoring the fact that the regulars whispering were starting to reach his ears. He placed a hand on Wilson's chest, feeling the muscles twitch under his touch, "I _won't_ visit you."

A frown appeared on Wilson's, however, soon after he shrugged, leaned forward and placed a chaste kiss on Izumi's lips before entering the main living room. Rubbing his forehead, Izumi made his way towards his study, he was starting to get a headache and he _still_ needed to speak to Fredrick. God, save him.

**End  
Chapter Two**

**Author's Note:** Hmm, it's not exactly a _bad_ chapter but... Mou, it was hard to write. I hope you enjoyed it I don't think my summery matches the story anymore ears deflate... Last, are you guys still confused? It changed to shounen-ai. Sorry.


End file.
